Savvy developers looking for the next big thing in mobile business apps may actually have two big things to set their sights on: web-based cloud computing and related appliance-like devices. That's the collective opinion of analysts from ABI Research and the Enderle Group.

The dominant force in mobile apps is likely to be cloud computing, according to ABI Research in its recent study "Mobile Cloud Computing." ABI Research forecasts that the number of mobile cloud computing subscribers worldwide will rise from 42.8 million in 2008, (approximately 1.1 percent of all mobile subscribers) to more than 998 million in 2014 (nearly 19 percent).

Mobile cloud applications move the computing power and data storage away from mobile phones and into the cloud, bringing apps and mobile computing not just to smartphone users but a wide spectrum of mobile subscribers.

Some innovative applications are already commercially available. Lock manufacturer Schlage, for example, has launched LiNK - a keyless lock system for the home that enables subscribers to remotely control not only the door lock, but heating/cooling, security cameras and light monitors, all via PC or mobile device.